Gabe squeezed my hand. “You doing okay?”
I gave him a watery smile. “I’m home. And I’m here with you. I’m better than okay.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” He leaned over to give me a kiss. “We’re going to spend a lifetime making memories here.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
Those two words brought an immense amount of comfort to me. The road wound back and forth as we drove through the hills. The house was located away from civilization. Compared to our place in the Hamptons, this house had a more intimate feel—almost cottage like in a sense, though bigger. The house was nestled into one of the vast hills of the estate with a barn off to the side that had been converted into a studio. The appeal to use as a base of operations was evident.
My phone rang. It was Carson. “Hello.”
“Hey, how you holding up?” He was worried.
Gabe stroked soothing circles on my hand.
“I’m managing. Thanks for all you did this afternoon. How are you feeling?”
“I’m good. Don’t worry about me.” Francesca inquired how I was doing from somewhere in the room with Carson. “Trent and Gabe asked for us to stay here. You good with that?”
From the front seat, Andre and Trent confirmed Gabe’s decision. “Yes, you should stay. Gabe and Trent know what they’re doing.”
“I don’t like this.”
“Me, either, but hopefully it will be over soon.”
Carson answered another one of Francesca’s questions about coming over. It was apparent she liked the idea of me being away less than Carson. On the plane, Gabe told me Carson told Francesca all that had gone on. “How’d Francesca do with the news?”
“She was shocked. Then pissed. And now she wants to make sure Rosie is convicted.”
In the face of trials, people were stronger than we anticipated. “Did you hear from your attorney about Rosie?”
He let out a frustrated noise. “I’d rather talk about this when you get back, but I know you won’t let it drop.”
A small chortle escaped. “You know me so well.”
“She’s officially been denied bail. They’ve sent over a plea bargain.”
There was a message from Marissa I hadn’t listened to yet. I’d sent her a text saying Gabe and I were headed to Italy for a quick getaway and I’d call her on my return. One problem at a time. “What did they offer for the plea bargain?”
“Reduced sentence… it’s all bullshit. It’s a way for them to open up negotiations.”
People believing they had the ability to manipulate my life and control my decisions appalled me. In this case they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Like Alex, Rosie had crossed an unforgivable line. “My vote is for Rosie to get the maximum sentence the prosecutors can get with no chance of parole.”
“Then we’re all on the same page. I’ll let the lawyers know.”
Andre made the last turn. In less than two minutes I would be home. “Thanks again, for everything you did. We’re almost there. I’m going to let you go.”
“Okay, angel. Call me if you need anything. As soon as we’re cleared to come, we’ll be on our way.”
“Sounds perfect.”
I hung up as I looked at the stone walls of our Italian two-story home as it came into view. The place was timeless. The bottom floor consisted of the master bedroom, kitchen, office, dining room, and two living rooms. Upstairs were the rest of the bedrooms.
After the car stopped, I disembarked. I walked to the water fountain in front of the house and ran my fingers through the cool water. Lilly pads circled about. On numerous mornings Dad and I brought our canvases out to the front yard to paint the rolling hills that spilled toward the never-ending horizon.
“It’s breathtaking.” Gabe’s obvious awe brought a smile to my face as he walked up behind me.
“It’s magical.” The trees swayed in the light breeze like a lullaby.
“I see why your dad proposed to your mom here. This was your great Nonno’s house?”
“Yes, he gave it to Dad when he passed.”
Our hands intertwined. Bringing my wrist up, he kissed my knuckles delicately. With Gabe by my side any apprehension vanished. It was unbelievably good to be home despite the terrible situation we faced.
“I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“Me, too, sweetheart.”
The Italian security team came from the house to greet Trent and the men he’d brought. The Italian accents were thick. If the caretakers were here, they’d have been beside themselves with worry. Carson had informed them I’d be arriving and given them a paid trip to the coast of Spain for the week as a thank you for all they had done. For now, they were out of the way.
I let the sun’s rays absorb into my skin as if part of the beauty of the countryside would be forever imprinted on me. I was home. The missing part of my heart felt a little less empty.
The pea gravel path crunched under our footsteps. The large wooden door with the iron trimmings greeted me like an old friend. I pushed them open easily to reveal the Tuscan style of the interior.
Trent motioned us to the living room where the computers had been set up. The dark set of his brow caught my attention. Something was up.
He turned to Gabe. “Men at the perimeter of the property heard a gunshot from your mother’s house. They investigated and found your mother had been shot point-blank in the head.”
Oh shit. “Alex?” I whispered. Chasity had been killed.
Gabe went stock-still. Another vibration from Trent’s phone temporarily broke his focus.
“We believe so. As we planned, the men kept a lose perimeter. Alex entered the house, they heard the gunshot and then he left. They’ve tracked him to the airport and he’s on a plane.”
“He’s coming here?” A darkness crept over Gabe. But this time, he held me close instead of pushing me away.
“Yes.” Trent turned his phone so we could see a picture of a note scribbled in blood on the wall.
“Oh my…” I took a few steps back away from the image. “H-he’s…” This image would stay with me forever. The angry slashes on the wall showed that Gabe had been successful in his attempt to unhinge Alex. In fact, the plan had been too successful.
Gabe roared, “For fuck’s sake, Trent.”
My eyes shot to Gabe. “He’s coming.” It all sank in. The danger more vivid. For some reason, it seemed less volatile with Gabe at my side. I heard Trent say something, but the world swayed a little. My feet left the ground and I was carried to the kitchen.
“Get me something to drink,” Gabe barked. The darkness crept in. “Hang with me, sweetheart. Don’t pass out.”
I fought it and a glass touched my lips.
“Drink,” Gabe commanded. A few gulps of juice trickled down my throat. “Slow slips.”
Light found its way back as it pushed the darkness aside. “I’m with you.”
“Thank goodness.” He pressed his forehead to mine while his fingers pressed against my wrist. “Keep taking slow breaths.”
I took another sip. Trent started to say something, but Gabe raised his hand silencing him.
“You better?”
“He’s—”
“I won’t let him get you. I swear you’ll be safe.”
The proclamation quelled the fear inside me marginally. “Why do you think he killed his own mother?”
“Because of his son.”
Of course, the one thing he’d held from his mother tore them apart. He denied her the one thing she wanted… to continue the game. Were we responsible for her death? The woman was evil to the core, but—
“Willow, don’t go down that path. My mother chose her path. As did Alex. This is not our fault.”
Somehow it still felt like it.
Trent walked back into the room. “Sorry, Willow.”
“It’s okay.”
“Let me get Willow settled,” Gabe said Trent.
I
clutched Gabe’s arm. “No, I’m staying with you!”
He stared intently into my eyes. “Willow, I don’t want—”
“This is not an option, Gabe. I can’t be away from you.” My pleading overruled any reservations he may have had.
Trent laid a map of the area on the white marble countertop beside me and pointed to where men were stationed.
Gabe looked at it intently. “Like we talked about on the plane, we’re going to create a sense of vulnerability. Alex needs to have the illusion he’s slipping through like he did at Mom’s house. It’s the only way he’ll come after me. Alex is pissed. And now that our mother is dead, he’s going to want to finish what we started all those years ago.”
“Do you think it’ll work?” I asked.
Gabe scrubbed his hand down his face. “Yes. He’s going to be one pissed off cocky son of a bitch. Alex has no idea we have a team here. Six people to cover this type of estate is inadequate. We create the holes to funnel him where we want him to go.”
“Won’t he see it?” This sounded crazy. We were the target, which meant Alex would head straight for us.
“Not if we keep it subtle. Make him work for it.” Taking a marker, Gabe put X’s on the map and showed the funnel effect. “We left the U.S. unexpectedly. We’ll turn it around on him. The faster he strikes, the easier it’ll be. If he has time to do much reconnaissance he’ll see what we’re up to.”